The first time I drove a Lexus SUV, I was so excited that I decided to put on red lipstick at a stoplight. A mistake, for sure. The light changed and I got the lipstick smudged on the visor. At that point I decided to calm down…after all it was just an SUV. But, not just any SUV.

Bottom line: the RX 350 had enough juice to get me anywhere I wanted to go and was nimble enough to pull in and out of parking spots and heavy traffic. Another nice note: the RX 350 was engineered at the outset to accommodate a hybrid powertrain, and shares its platform with its hybrid counterpart, the RX 400h.

But what I noticed most was that car-like and quiet feeling when driving the RX 350. So, I asked one of the Lexus execs, “Why does it feel so light to drive? And he answered, “Because it’s a Lexus. Smoothness is the brand’s forte.”

More importantly, it looks like toy poodle Jack was suitably impressed, if the picture above is any indication.